Shastri named director of cricket for England ODIs

India's cricket bosses have reacted to the embarrassing Test series defeat to England by ringing in changes among the coaching staff, including appointing former captain Ravi Shastri as the director of cricket for the one-day series coming up. Duncan Fletcher remains the head coach but Shastri has been given the reins of the team.

Team captain MS Dhoni is safe, with officials saying he had the full backing of the board for the entire series.

Shastri's column on Tuesday: 'glam boys' and penance

Ravi Shastri's column in the Times of India on Tuesday was full of strong stuff. He called India's showing in the Test series "wretched" and said it remained to be seen if the team was ready to do "penance".

"Five sessions and not five days have been enough to nail them," he wrote. "But move on we must. Sit back and watch if these glam boys are ready for penance. If they are prepared to plunge their bare hands into the coal of fire and start from scratch.

"England have made runs, but anyone would if the other side makes 100 or so."

Further clipping Fletcher's wings, his two assistants, fielding coach Trevor Penney and bowling coach Joe Dawes, have been "given a break" for the one-day series in England. In their place come former India allrounder Sanjay Bangar and former India fast bowler B Arun as assistant coaches. R Sridhar, the former Hyderabad left-arm spinner, will join the support team as the fielding coach for the one day series.

While the BCCI's official press release soft-pedalled the news, saying Shastri would "oversee and guide the Indian cricket team", board secretary Sanjay Patel was more emphatic while talking to ESPNcricinfo. "The team is with Ravi Shastri," he said. "Now it is his baby. He will handle everything."

This is not the first time the BCCI is turning to Shastri during a crisis - he was named the Indian team's cricket manager after an embarrassing first-round exit from the 2007 World Cup.

A BCCI release said: "In their continuing efforts to re-energise the support to the team, the BCCI has given a break to the bowling coach Mr Joe Dawes and the fielding coach, Mr Trevor Penny for the one day series and appointed Mr Sanjay Bangar, former Indian all rounder and former India fast bowler Mr Bharat Arun as the Asst. coaches of the team. Mr R.Sridhar will join the support team as the fielding coach for the one day series."

Dawes, a former Queensland fast bowler, has been India's bowling coach since the 2011-12 Test debacle in Australia, while Penney has been in charge of the fielding after India's victorious 2011 World Cup.

Bangar retired from first-class cricket in 2013 and has since coached India A, and been part of the support staff of various IPL franchises, with his reputation getting it biggest boost after he coached an unfancied Kings XI Punjab to their first IPL final earlier this year.

Sridhar, who began his coaching career in 2001, has been part of the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore and was the India Under-19's assistant coach during the World Cup in February in the UAE. He has also worked with Kings XI Punjab in IPL 2014 as the franchise's fielding coach.

Arun, a former Tamil Nadu fast bowler, has overseen India's two previous Under-19s campaigns, including Unmukt Chand's title-winning side in 2012. He was also among the senior coaching staff at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore till he resigned last year.

The developments come a day after BCCI joint-secretary Anurag Thakur had suggested that a former India player should work with Fletcher to guide the team. He had also told PTI: "I would ideally like an Indian support staff to work in tandem with Fletcher, which might help him to prepare better for the future tour."

If India lose the 1 day series then both Dhoni and Fletcher should be ready to resign.

Nampally
on August 20, 2014, 16:06 GMT

I expect a much better performance from the Indian team both in batting & bowling. India has a good reputation in the ODI Cricket having won the WC in ODI earlier in England. Also there will be some changes in the XI in both batting & bowling. India may go some of the younger guys in the squad + Raina & Yadev in the XI. Shastri will have impact on the Team both for mental support & introducing much needed discipline. The area Shastri needs his major focus is in selection of a rational XI. He must not allow Dhoni to be the dictator but a follower for Selection of XI! This is where India keeps failing. New Indian coaches will be at least as good if not better than the "rested" coaches of Fletcher. I feel Fletcher will be a Head Coach in Name only. The bulk of control will be under Shastri. So I expect a new "Ball game" orchestrated by Shastri with No Nonsense disciplined approach! Indian Series Win likely!

IndianSRTfan
on August 20, 2014, 16:01 GMT

A lot of the people seem to think that preparing green tops at home for the domestic matches is a cure for our woes in overseas test matches. Nothing of the sort will happen. You only have to look at recent Ranji pitches to know what I'm talking about. More and more state teams have actually been preparing green tops for Ranji matches. It hasn't worked out well for India at all.

Firstly it has reduced the number of quality, attacking spinners in domestic circuit who can take wickets. Hence we are seeing more and more holding spinners who need square turners to take any wickets. e.g Jadeja, Ashwin.

What India needs is a system where potential Test specialists are picked early, set up facilities for them where overseas conditions can be simulated, send them on tours to Eng/Aus/SA/NZ for 4 day matches and finally compensate them on par with IPL contracts

on August 20, 2014, 13:42 GMT

I see England 4 India 1 in the ODI series. .let's see

truthfinder
on August 20, 2014, 9:38 GMT

The solution lies at home not at overseas. Indian must mandate couple of (not all -- that is impractical) selected venues to be absolutely green top, fast and bouncy pitches ignoring any suggestion of the local cricket body or the pitch curator. Then regularly put domestic and international matches in those grounds. This would over a period of time results in emergence of genuine fast deck hitter (not like Aron
, Umesh who can only reach top speed when they bowl fuller over pitched deliveries). India need 90mph deck hitters to get success in overseas regularly. Even in this series too India lost momentum while they conceded 500 runs in the third test. Notwithstanding the failures of the batsmen, still the bowlers could have kept India in hunt had they bowled well. In Oval again conceding 400 runs was a crime. Bowlers should not think legitimacy of under performing if batters got out cheaply.

on August 20, 2014, 8:14 GMT

"Stand on leg stump, move gradually to the off stump while the bowler is running and make sure you defend the ball with the middle of the bat" This will be the mantra of the team now.

on August 20, 2014, 6:37 GMT

For people crying about India loosing edge because of T20, the series must be an eye opener, Ajinkya Rahane made a name with the Rajasthan Royals as one of the best T20 players, Dhoni the epitome of T20 malace was the second highest scorer and Bhuvi is a T20/ODI player who pulled his socks up, Pujara the test player flopped and so did Kohli , but these guys got runs in SA against Steyn, Morkel and the rest. The problem is not T20, the problem is mental, and that is where some new ideas or morale boost would help, it was sad seeing them loose this way, but even the best captain in the world or the most grittiest one like Steve Waugh would have seen the same fate as Dhoni if his batsman were 4 down for 10

joseyesu
on August 20, 2014, 4:31 GMT

I believe in technics. What Dhoni showed in last few matches is sheer will power which is more important than techniques. And vijay also showed that in the beginning of the series(even he was taking his time against Aus in Ind). Rest of them played how they used to play. Even in the first two matches low order bated well beyond everyones expectation. Selecting Rohit and keep on with Gambir is not a way forward.

on August 20, 2014, 3:20 GMT

wow ravi will surely choose match winner rather than looking only at technique, the best match winner always produce best partnership. from recent matches and batsman technique we have seen that Rohit sharma , virat kohli, suresh raina, shikhar dhawan, are the most experienced match winner india have and we have ajinkya rahane and ambati raydu to fill those two position of number 5 and 6 than dhoni at 7 than we can of 4 best specialist bowler. Bits and peaces kind of cricketer cannot perform under pressure. four bowler are umesh yadav, varun aaron, Ravindra jadeja/ashwin, bhuvaneshwer kumar.

remember suresh raina is more than part time bowler, rohit sharma, virat kohli, ambati raydu and shikhar dhawan can bowl 2 overs as well.

on August 20, 2014, 1:57 GMT

I believe team India should give another chance to Sehwag and UV. And also Sanju sampson needs to play as well if team India wants to win matches they needs some strong hitting guys.

myStraightTalk
on August 26, 2014, 14:45 GMT

If India lose the 1 day series then both Dhoni and Fletcher should be ready to resign.

Nampally
on August 20, 2014, 16:06 GMT

I expect a much better performance from the Indian team both in batting & bowling. India has a good reputation in the ODI Cricket having won the WC in ODI earlier in England. Also there will be some changes in the XI in both batting & bowling. India may go some of the younger guys in the squad + Raina & Yadev in the XI. Shastri will have impact on the Team both for mental support & introducing much needed discipline. The area Shastri needs his major focus is in selection of a rational XI. He must not allow Dhoni to be the dictator but a follower for Selection of XI! This is where India keeps failing. New Indian coaches will be at least as good if not better than the "rested" coaches of Fletcher. I feel Fletcher will be a Head Coach in Name only. The bulk of control will be under Shastri. So I expect a new "Ball game" orchestrated by Shastri with No Nonsense disciplined approach! Indian Series Win likely!

IndianSRTfan
on August 20, 2014, 16:01 GMT

A lot of the people seem to think that preparing green tops at home for the domestic matches is a cure for our woes in overseas test matches. Nothing of the sort will happen. You only have to look at recent Ranji pitches to know what I'm talking about. More and more state teams have actually been preparing green tops for Ranji matches. It hasn't worked out well for India at all.

Firstly it has reduced the number of quality, attacking spinners in domestic circuit who can take wickets. Hence we are seeing more and more holding spinners who need square turners to take any wickets. e.g Jadeja, Ashwin.

What India needs is a system where potential Test specialists are picked early, set up facilities for them where overseas conditions can be simulated, send them on tours to Eng/Aus/SA/NZ for 4 day matches and finally compensate them on par with IPL contracts

on August 20, 2014, 13:42 GMT

I see England 4 India 1 in the ODI series. .let's see

truthfinder
on August 20, 2014, 9:38 GMT

The solution lies at home not at overseas. Indian must mandate couple of (not all -- that is impractical) selected venues to be absolutely green top, fast and bouncy pitches ignoring any suggestion of the local cricket body or the pitch curator. Then regularly put domestic and international matches in those grounds. This would over a period of time results in emergence of genuine fast deck hitter (not like Aron
, Umesh who can only reach top speed when they bowl fuller over pitched deliveries). India need 90mph deck hitters to get success in overseas regularly. Even in this series too India lost momentum while they conceded 500 runs in the third test. Notwithstanding the failures of the batsmen, still the bowlers could have kept India in hunt had they bowled well. In Oval again conceding 400 runs was a crime. Bowlers should not think legitimacy of under performing if batters got out cheaply.

on August 20, 2014, 8:14 GMT

"Stand on leg stump, move gradually to the off stump while the bowler is running and make sure you defend the ball with the middle of the bat" This will be the mantra of the team now.

on August 20, 2014, 6:37 GMT

For people crying about India loosing edge because of T20, the series must be an eye opener, Ajinkya Rahane made a name with the Rajasthan Royals as one of the best T20 players, Dhoni the epitome of T20 malace was the second highest scorer and Bhuvi is a T20/ODI player who pulled his socks up, Pujara the test player flopped and so did Kohli , but these guys got runs in SA against Steyn, Morkel and the rest. The problem is not T20, the problem is mental, and that is where some new ideas or morale boost would help, it was sad seeing them loose this way, but even the best captain in the world or the most grittiest one like Steve Waugh would have seen the same fate as Dhoni if his batsman were 4 down for 10

joseyesu
on August 20, 2014, 4:31 GMT

I believe in technics. What Dhoni showed in last few matches is sheer will power which is more important than techniques. And vijay also showed that in the beginning of the series(even he was taking his time against Aus in Ind). Rest of them played how they used to play. Even in the first two matches low order bated well beyond everyones expectation. Selecting Rohit and keep on with Gambir is not a way forward.

on August 20, 2014, 3:20 GMT

wow ravi will surely choose match winner rather than looking only at technique, the best match winner always produce best partnership. from recent matches and batsman technique we have seen that Rohit sharma , virat kohli, suresh raina, shikhar dhawan, are the most experienced match winner india have and we have ajinkya rahane and ambati raydu to fill those two position of number 5 and 6 than dhoni at 7 than we can of 4 best specialist bowler. Bits and peaces kind of cricketer cannot perform under pressure. four bowler are umesh yadav, varun aaron, Ravindra jadeja/ashwin, bhuvaneshwer kumar.

remember suresh raina is more than part time bowler, rohit sharma, virat kohli, ambati raydu and shikhar dhawan can bowl 2 overs as well.

on August 20, 2014, 1:57 GMT

I believe team India should give another chance to Sehwag and UV. And also Sanju sampson needs to play as well if team India wants to win matches they needs some strong hitting guys.

CurrentPresident
on August 20, 2014, 0:58 GMT

Why does BCCI insist on wasting every opportunity it gets to fix things? The right person to bring here would undoubtedly have been Saurav Ganguly. Even Anil Kumble would have been a better choice.

No offense, Mr. Shastri is a very likeable and charming person, but he has not made a name for his leadership or ability to fix things.

Cpt.Meanster
on August 20, 2014, 0:14 GMT

The BCCI simply don't learn or they just don't want to learn. Bringing in Shaz won't do anything. He's a commentator, not an administrator. Sure, he played well for India but an ex-player need not be an efficient governor. See, the problem with the Indians is that they wish to have all their eggs in the same basket. They wish to be a good test team, a good ODI side as well as a world dominating T20 side. That's next to impossible. Why ? Simply because India simply don't have different sets of players for the three disciplines. Pujara is an exception but what about the rest ? The time has come for India to PICK their favourite format. It's either test cricket OR limited overs. I would go with the second option because India are a proven champion side in the shorter formats. Test cricket isn't their cup of tea. If the BCCI really want a world beating Indian team, then the entire structure of Indian cricket should change starting with the types of pitches back home.

allysvalley
on August 19, 2014, 21:24 GMT

I would say Pravin Amre in addition to the current changes would be the way to go forward. These set of appointed coaches have gone through it all. Plus Pravin has earlier helped quite a few batsmen successfully.

on August 19, 2014, 21:06 GMT

excellent choice of mr shastri , wish him best of luck

on August 19, 2014, 20:09 GMT

Where is munaf Patel, RP Singh or irfan
pathan.

ladycricfan
on August 19, 2014, 19:52 GMT

Like a chess game, the whole series has crumbled around the weak pawns that were Binny and Jadeja, while more talented players were warming the bench. Players had lots of possitive energy in the first two tests. May be Ashwin might have broken the Root-Anderson partnership of 199 runs early. Other than that everybody else played well.

The turning point was the massive first innings score England put up in the third test. Dhoni's defensive tactics were the reasons for that. Indian batsmen crumbled under score board pressure and it was downhill from there.

Dunkan Fletcher seems unable to mange Dhoni's ego. That was why he asked for the help of Dravid. Even Dravid was not happy with the team selection. But he had no power to do anything.

Dhoni has pressed self destruct button. Let's see how the events turn out in the ODIs. Dhoni will have to win the series to continue as captain. Otherwise he will have to step down.

on August 19, 2014, 18:48 GMT

Time to bring in a Lee Germon like personality or Adam hollioake to lead the team i.e a rank young outsider with fresh ambitions maybe like a rishi dhawan aksharp karnveer singh to groom to lead the team and bring a fresh youthfulness in team!!! Dhoni looks cooked

on August 19, 2014, 18:38 GMT

it's not about team management...
it's all about team selection...

on August 19, 2014, 18:19 GMT

flashes and flashes hard!! I would take 9 out of 10 times that!! match went all the down to the wire now!! ball went like a tracer bullet!! wrapped on to the pad and given out!! match is nicely poised and set up!! least thing u don't want now is the run out!! he is living dangerously!! .....ravi shastry epic words ...time for translating into action now..grt commentator with a solid cricketing brain..

on August 19, 2014, 18:18 GMT

irfan pathan is the best all rounfer..

cricpanther
on August 19, 2014, 18:13 GMT

Super Choice by Super Shastri!! I would recommend him not only for England odi series, but hand over entire world cup selections, management to Ravi Shastri. He is the person who has tremendous contribution for winning world cup 2011!! Now let him guide and give him full authority, power, rights, license for selection and guide team through out World Cup 2015!! World Cup 2015 is difficult in every dimensions, it's home ground for Aussie, Kiwis and this time you can count hungry England team, West Indies, South African team as well as Srilankan team as Mahela's last world cup!!! Bounce, Pace and Swing!! Batman should be ready mentally and Ravi Shastri the name for Game Changer!!!!

CricketChat
on August 19, 2014, 18:05 GMT

Sounds like a final warning to head coach. Either Ind wins or you are next! Was Language a problem? If it was, wouldn't a translator or two have solved the problem? Seriously, dropping (agreed, "rested" sounds more respectable) assistant coaches isn't going to "lift" Ind player's spirit. I would rather hire a psychologist or a hypnotist instead.

cricpanther
on August 19, 2014, 18:01 GMT

Excellent move by BCCI. Great decision to bring Greatest of all Ravi Shastri ON!! One Shashtri is good enough to direct and guide team with single handed. So I am assuming that now team India will white wash ODI series against England for sure. Now England is ready for big defeat at home crowd!!! Ravi is living legend and he has passion, fire and insight for the game of cricket than no one!! I like Sanjay Bangar decision too, as he is the most honest player I have ever seen, specially his IPL selections for king eleven remarkable!!! World cup is nearby and great that Shastri Come forward at right time again crisis situations and let Shastri leading team from front. Common India!

on August 19, 2014, 17:52 GMT

Very bad choice!!! It is high time you bring in the best administrator in the game of cricket today Navjot Singh Sidhu.

Lets-bash-others
on August 19, 2014, 17:35 GMT

@Naked_Cricket-- Most of the players in current team are failure in IPL... Apart from Raina,GG,Bhuvi none are actually super star as you are saying...

Mostly foreign players or raw Indian players of domestic cricket are successful... If you had actually seen IPL, you would have known that YUVI,KOHLI,DHoNI plays well only in 3-4 matches out of 16-17 matches...

And if you think these players are selected due to their IPL performance then just check their domestic record...

on August 19, 2014, 17:35 GMT

I am still bewildered by India's capitulation. They are a much better team that the one that imploded spectacularly all over England. What on earth happened?

on August 19, 2014, 17:31 GMT

Personally I am against Shastri's comments of 'Put more grass in India'. I would rather aim for making wickets drier and drier. Let the ball turn. Play to our strengths. That should be the priority. Then again I am tired of having a banter against the selectors because it will end up going nowhere. Everyone knows that we are the worst when it comes to internal politics and hidden agendas.

Shane Warne can tell you that a sight of a leg spinner against England is what cripples them midway. We had not one spinner that could do the job. Only in Dhoni's world can Stuart Binny get 3 test matches ahead of Rohit Sharma.

Rohit Sharma needed to get a slap on his back for the way he got out, but everything aside, he looked the most comfortable of the lot against the short pitch ball till he lost his mind.

Time to replace Dhoni as a wicket keeper captain. Make him a captain. Have a wicket keeper batsman who puts a price on his wicket. Naman Ojha or Saha.

on August 19, 2014, 17:25 GMT

My choice is Sourav Ganguly. He can do better even as a coach. BCCI should consider ganguly.

Dravid_Pujara_Gravitas
on August 19, 2014, 17:18 GMT

Though the intent to make 'the' moves is good, I'm not at all convinced with the motives behind 'the' moves and it is pretty clear that they are going to make it half-baked. What I mean is, they are desperately pushing Dhoni (and Fletcher) to the back-burner when it is crystal clear that the team selection to field placements to bowling changes - everything is of club standard. To put in Kapil Paaji's own words, "It made me sad to see bowlers bowling to 7-2 field in test match". To put in Shane Warne Paaji's own words, "Dhoni's decisions lack any LOGIC, BIZARRE AND WEIRD. It's because of his poor captaincy decisions that India is fighting for survival in this test match. In fact, all of us in the commentary box know that and the audience in the stadium know that". As an example - starting with Jadeja and Pankaj after lunch break, starting with the same duo at the start of next day's play......Unless the Dhoni-Fletcher Combo gets sacked, all the changes and results are just temporary!

SatishTembey
on August 19, 2014, 17:18 GMT

Surprised with changes. Why Fletcher and Dhoni were spared?

Fletcher's assistants must have been guided by Fletcher, then why Fletcher is not responsible for successive debacles.

Dhoni's field placement and captaincy during current series was criticised by TV commentators and senior cricket players. Therefore don't understand Dhoni's continuation.

If board fears failure due to sudden changes, it is a needless worry because our performance was worst.

Also professional cricketers should not be spared, Their salary structure should be fixed + variable! major portion as variable! which will act as motivator for performance.

Also I feel board should review policy about allowing wife's / friend to accompany players on foreign tour. There was a news about allowing friend to accompany Virat - don't know if this news was true and it happened. But it is a clear fact that Virat Failed!!!

TRAM
on August 19, 2014, 17:13 GMT

Shastri may have the knowledge to do what is required but he would be biased towards (in favor of) RSharma and such mumbaikars. I would have preferred Ganguly be given decision making roles, may be along with Shastri.

Naked_Cricket
on August 19, 2014, 16:58 GMT

Until Next IPL come this ( defeat ) will remember to BCCI or IND Spectators . When IPL Plays, all these are SUPER SUPER Stars . :)

Retour
on August 19, 2014, 16:55 GMT

Well, anything that signals a change is welcome. However, I am more interested in seeing what changes are made to the test line-up.

In tests, I would love to see Sehwag made a captain to rebuild the side. It is not about how many runs Veeru can make but how his mentorship and aggressiveness rubs on to the test team, which appears to be going through the motions under Dhoni. Having a team of selectors focused solely on tests would be another positive move.

In short, it is time to split tests and limited overs (ODIs and T20) in to two bodies. With tests having its own dedicated captain, support staff and selectors. Guys like McGrath, McDermott or Wasim can be brought in as well to help bowlers with their line and length, along with wicket taking strategy. Earlier, Ind had Dravid and Laxman as test specialist, and Ind needs to find at least a couple of test specialist batsmen, couple of bowlers, and a WK who is good enough to bat at #5 and below (Saha?).

on August 19, 2014, 16:45 GMT

very good move by india. I hope everything will go better in future. Please develop some fast bowlers who can swing. Be aggressive and win test matches at least 50% of the matches you play.

cricket_lover1
on August 19, 2014, 16:38 GMT

BCCI needs to bring in changes in the domestic level. India should have 2-3 fast and bouncy pitches like Perth (May be in Nagpur,Banglore & Chandigarh) and Indian domestic level matches should be played there apart from playing in spin friendly pitches. That way bowlers can develop the skills playing in different kinds of pitches not just one type. Indian players basics needs to be corrected hence the quality of the domestic level cricket needs a huge correction..BCCI has money but not sure where its been invested. BCCI should encourage domestic level players by paying them well for the domestic matches, that way players will be willing to play test matches and will not just focus on IPL to make money. There should be prizes for Top Five batsmen/bowlers/fielders & that will also make the pool for selection in the nat

on August 19, 2014, 16:34 GMT

india need viru. .he is the key player for the good start. .

on August 19, 2014, 16:21 GMT

Please, please dont talk about bringing back old stars like Yuvraj and Sehwag. We have seen Yuvi struggling to play in his last few matches. He can score on flat tracks against weak bowling attack. But in tests in swinging condition he is a walking wicket like Gambhir.

And Sehwag post his eye surgery has looked a pale shadow of his old self. He is lethargic in the field, his batting does not have the aggression or power of old and his running between wicket sis as bad as ever!!

Kaushikkaps
on August 19, 2014, 16:19 GMT

changing the support staff wont do wonders for Team India. Its the 11 players in the field who need to stay n perform. You change either one or the entire supporting staff its those people of Dhoni's choice who need to prove their selection or birth in the team. Solution of this problem is not the coach or supporting staff it lies with BCCI. Supreme body of Indian cricket has to start working towards for the betterment of Cricket and not for the betterment of people handling it. The kind of potential India has it can create a great team. And in past also we had seen some un believable talent. Dhoni is a great captain and he has done wonders for Team India but why cant he come forward n take the responsibility of the shame when he always in front when the team is winning.. I always fail to understand that when India won its because of its Captain Cool and when it looses its because of either Batsmen, Bowlers or for that matter COACH but its never DHONI. A BIG WHY n may the SOLUTION also

on August 19, 2014, 15:56 GMT

Cricket in India needs to come under the sports ministry. Bcci cannot keep functioning as a private body. The whole country was shamed and embarrassed by the gutless show of dhoni's team. Sports ministry should take over and clean up this mess created by Srinivasan and his cronies. Dhoni is captain of srinivasans ipl team so nobody can remove him from test captaincy even if he continues to lose test match after test match. What kind of nonsense is that.

on August 19, 2014, 15:51 GMT

why vinaykumar who lead karnataka to win ranji title and real test bowler, I don't understand how these selector access the ability, vinaykumar would hv been wicket taking bowler in England but deliberately they don't select him in overseas coz if he succeeds,they should keep him. they will select him matches in india wherein pitches are dead and spinner friendly.Atleast now awake and get him to Australia or else it will still miserable in his absence.

on August 19, 2014, 15:46 GMT

Facing swinging balls, around 140 is the problem for the Indian batsmen. And guys like Jimmy can do it 'out' or 'in' swing, at will. Even the back-up bowlers there started doing it. Many Aussies do it too, though the atmospherics in OZ won't be that bad as in England.

They can master that skill only with some county stint in England. With Ravi in command, it is not going to happen. English county season clashes with IPL. And, Shastri is one of the pillars of IPL!

The irony is that Shastri himself benefited from his stint with Glamorgan. He, a lower order, big striker (like Joe Buttler, now) became a good opening batsman after his Glamorgan stint. Alas, he wouldn't advise that for the current set. In fact, on TV after that disastrous 24 over Indian test innings, he glibly suggested, "put some grass on Indian pitches". Not send them for some county stint. I'm sure many Indian fans might have heard that, if they still had the spirit to look at the TV screen, after such a humiliation..

on August 19, 2014, 15:40 GMT

I think once Kholi returns to form most of the Indian problems would be solved. A team with batsman like Kholi, Dhoni, Raina, Yuvraj and Dhawan and with bowlers like Ashvin, jadeja and Ishant can not fail all the time.

S.Seshachalam
on August 19, 2014, 15:39 GMT

With all these changes, hope Duncan Fletcher understands the indirect message from BCCI and quits on his own. May be this is an indirect way of BCCI showing him the door!!!

vatsap
on August 19, 2014, 15:32 GMT

If the BCCI has guts, they should name Mr. Ravi Shastri as the person fully responsible for Indian team. Wonder if Mr. Ravi Shastri will accept it, considering he will lose the endorsements from his columns and TV commentary.

This experiment was tried once, when Mr. RS managed/coached a team to Bangladesh and a coachless Indian team went to Australia led by Anil Kumble.

It is all easy to bring in temporary cell-o-tape, but is someone ready to do a Bobby Simpson.

IndianSRTfan
on August 19, 2014, 15:28 GMT

A few people here seem to be missing the point. The appointment of Ravi isn't a measure to ensure better performances in Tests abroad. His job will be to more or less to talk to the players and and ensure that they get into a better mindset for the upcoming ODI series.

Considering that getting players into right mental shape is more or less Coach's job, I think it's a clear indication that BCCI are considering whether a change of approach in coaching style is necessary.

A young team needs a coach who is more active, inspiring, and more hands-on. Fletcher with his passive, at times frigid, and unimaginative style of coaching doesn't tick many of those boxes. Ravi, with his intense and passionate personality, is someone who can inspire the players and clear their minds after the crushing losses in Tests.

Only time will tell whether this move is for temporary damage control or a harbinger for future changes. Good luck to Ravi! Lets hope all the ODIs don't go down to the wire! :)

on August 19, 2014, 15:10 GMT

Bring back Sahwag, yuvraj like players who are not scared to hit the shot. To break England confidence , need to have Tundolker and Viv Richards like all the the time confident players. Should keep I Sharma, Arun .Bhuvi and Pankaj all time. What happened to Raina? Advice all players to play confidently NOT under pressure.

on August 19, 2014, 15:10 GMT

The Indian players will always prove to be excellent coaching staff in the team but the problem is the EGO that each player holds. That is the reason any past Indian players don't coach the team. The main aim of players is to get into the Indian team and then play the IPL and make money. This cannot work and this has to come to an end. Its not the coach not the captain not any other who can play on the players behalf. These guys lack the motivation to play for the country and in that case they must be shown the door and some yard stick be placed so that the players who plays well for the Indian team will be allowed in the auction. Till we have players who have sense of pride in playing for country this will go on.

CanadaCan
on August 19, 2014, 15:07 GMT

This move may not work. This is a problem that can be fixed only in the long run. If the children from a locality have been traditionally weak in mathematics no matter who the teacher is, one needs to go to the root of the problem and fix it.

Changing the official at the top like bringing in Shastri for the ODI series will not have any effect in the short run, . This is more like forming a committee to silence the critics.

geebee3
on August 19, 2014, 15:05 GMT

Excellent decision by BCCI. India's debacle in the test series this year had absolutely nothing to do with Dhoni. He is a top class captain in any form of cricket. How ever a captain is only as good as his team and it needed an action like this by the BCCI to wake up a lethargic, unresponsive team. The Indian coaches could now tell the team players to shape up or ship out and the team players are more likely to heed the words of Indian coaches than foreigners. Well done BCCI.

roger1981
on August 19, 2014, 15:01 GMT

Wow...Now let's see what happens...This is not the first time Mr Shastri is taking charge as he was involved post 2007 world cup exit. Seems people want to prove a point that Indian coaches can do a better job. I hope this is not because of West indies is traveling to India..Post that its down under let's see what happens there..

on August 19, 2014, 14:55 GMT

I think making a changes in side will not be a solution to the real problem, see indian team has became a HOME PET who play well in home conditions only. As we know they have won last 6 out 6 test matches on home soil with the same players so if we swept hole lot of the team it won't make a great effect because they have been continuously failing overseas. As far as FLETCHER'S role in side, i have never understood what he was up to so far, team's fielding and bowling have been poor for ages since he has been appointed as a coach and there is no development looked in that way.

on August 19, 2014, 14:50 GMT

dhoni needs to be removed from test captaincy. but that won't happen. so nothing will change. india will beat windies at home. they will be mauled by australia in australia. you can keep bringing in shastri, bangar whoever...the results will be the same

jo_n
on August 19, 2014, 14:43 GMT

i foresee Sanju samson (Wk/captain) for team india after Dhoni

Rajagopal_Fbd
on August 19, 2014, 14:41 GMT

Why can't Indian cricket administrators understand the bottom line of the problem. We don't want to make sporting pitches, don't send team to play regular mate he's in Australia, England and new Zealand. Then we blame the team. More so, we give them false hope of their capability by comparing them with yesteryear's great with even one series of good batting. If you make test performance as the basis for ipl selection, then everyone will put their best in test matches.

on August 19, 2014, 14:31 GMT

@landl47 on (August 19, 2014, 13:20 GMT)

Re: Duncan Fletcher. This is the Indian way of gently sidelining a respectable old gentleman. For,we Indians, it is crystal clear.

Who is THE boss? Ravi Shasti. No doubt about that either. Whether it is going to be good or bad; whether it will produce any positive changes or not;....these are the questions, which still cloud many a sensible Indian cricket fan's' mind!

The root cause has as usual been swept under the carpet. Patch-work solutions won't last. BCCI needs to operate much more professionally. Thorough change is needed.

Johnny_129
on August 19, 2014, 14:20 GMT

This is a "nothing move"! The head coach and captain who are ultimately responsible for team performance are still intact while the fielding and bowling coaches have been made the scapegoat! Appointing Shastri as Director is just a show that BCCI is taking some action. As for appointing Arun and Bangar - That is just going from bad to worse! These guys were mediocre Test players at best and have little coaching expertise in foreign conditions!! Best to FIRE FLETCHER whose appointment (after India's WC win) coincided with India's demise. John Wright had laid the platform for India's success with Ganguly - Then Gary Kirstein and Ganguly built on that platform to form an excellent side which Dhoni inherited. The WC success had a lot to do with the work of John Wright, Kirstein and Ganguly. Dhoni only provided the fresh ideas required at the time. However, Ganguly's captaincy was the catalyst for India's later success. Now, Dhoni along with Fletcher has set India back many many years!!!

on August 19, 2014, 14:20 GMT

i am and i will b a huge fan of dhoni.. but the bitter truth is he has failed as a test captain. i dont see a reason why he should be the captain. his record as a captain in tests is the worst among all international captains curently.

on August 19, 2014, 14:19 GMT

BCCI Should appoint Former Indian Players as Coaching Staffs. There is people like Kapil Dev,Sunil Gavaskar, Rahul Dravid, Saurav Ganguly, Robin Singh, Javgal Srinath. Bcci can also consider among these great legendary cricketers into coaching staffs.

on August 19, 2014, 14:18 GMT

A typical knee-jerk reaction by the Indian Cricket Bosses, nothing personal against Sunny or Shastri but why does the BCCI bosses can't look beyond these Two for any proposed changes in Indian Cricket ??

on August 19, 2014, 14:14 GMT

There are a few comments asking for Dhoni's removal. We need him for the shorter formats, at least till the next world cup. He is one of the best captains and finishers in the shorter formats.

However, he does not deserve a spot in the test team. There we have to think of alternatives.

If their respective places in the playing XI had been certainties, I would have debated about a choice between Rohit & Ashwin, for Test captaincy. Of course, Rohit have some experience, though his success was in T-20 (where Dhoni is still the best)

I have some concerns about Kohli; the same ones which I had when Gauti's name was floated around a few years back. Both have excessively abrasive personalities, which can any day disrupt the team unity. Let alone relations with other national teams.

If and when Dhoni leaves test cricket, I would like to groom Sanju Samson as the future wicket-keeper batsman. Like many other W/K batsmen, he should not neglect the keeping part of his job.

on August 19, 2014, 14:12 GMT

With England & India's current "form" , this series looks one sided too.

pritpalpabla
on August 19, 2014, 14:09 GMT

Either Ganguly or Gavaskar should be the head coach.. Only this will get out the best from the current lot of Indian cricketers... They are not taking these overseas tours seriously.. After Lord's win Indians were somewhat satisfied internally that at least they win 1 test match overseas.. They were not motivated at all in the last 3 tests...

glen1
on August 19, 2014, 14:09 GMT

Request to the new support staff: (i) stop playing football and ending up with leg problems, (ii) stop intense field exercises with players falling apart. Cricket does not require this level of physical endurance, it is a hand-eye coordination sport. Gundappa Vishwanath & Sunil Gavaskar were hardly the sport-type, but were one of the best catchers at slip, and probably the best two batsmen to wield the willow.

Imad_K
on August 19, 2014, 14:05 GMT

18/12/2013: On the 17th I posted a comment stating that India would struggle like they struggled against Australia and England - due to the pace and bounce and the calibre of bowling which the Indian batsmen struggle in when playing outside the subcontinent. I hardly watch cricket nowadays but I specifically stated that when India played Australia and England away, from all their talented batsmen Kohli was one of the only batsmen who looked remotely comfortable in that series. However, I also remember when India brought in Patel and Rahane to open - and Rahane actually look pretty ok against the quick short ball. When India play away they seriously need to pick batsmen who can play in these conditions - if it means selecting different players whilst playing in the subcontinent as compared to playing away then so be it - won't be easy but at least may save India from getting utterly thrashed. The problem is that in this series they can't just rely on one or two batsmen to bail them out.

jo_n
on August 19, 2014, 14:04 GMT

Batting has failed during this series but more worrying factor is Indias bowling performances except buvaneshwar
Batting issues can be easily solved by replacing, as we got plenty of tallented batters.
For Bowling there is no proper guide, i think making zaheer indias bowling coach
could help india immensely.

on August 19, 2014, 14:03 GMT

BCCI's mysterious ways of working is a projection of a muddled mind.
Adhoc decisions are taken to protect their favourites - but one can't hide the results.
Shastri has never been a coach or a mentor - his only qualification is being a "yes man" to Srinivasan - the same as Sanjay Patel.
May we ask Sanjay as to who he had consulted while taking a decision on Shastri.
Let's hope this move pays off - otherwise ????

csowmi7
on August 19, 2014, 13:54 GMT

I think this is a good initial step by the BCCI and I feel they should get rid of Fletcher and Joe Dawes soon. I dont see the point in appointing a bowling coach that nobody has heard of when there are so many qualified past cricketers like Wasim Akram and Glenn Mcgrath who is already doing work at the MRF pace foundation. People underestimate the role the coach has to play in the development of a team and Gary Kirsten certainly proved that a good coach can do wonders. He helped India reach the top of the test rankings a position we can only dream of reaching now and we won the world cup under his reign. I think it is no coincidence that the moment he went to South Africa they also emerged as the top test side. Likewise it is no coincidence that under Fletcher we have done absolutely nothing substantial losing 4-0 in Australia 4-0 in England 1-0 in South Africa 1-0 in New Zealand and losing at home 1-2 against England and now 3-1 against them.

Sandeshgk
on August 19, 2014, 13:54 GMT

India losed test matches outside even azar, ganguly captaincy but dhoni and team are not interested playing test cricket.losts of IPL. i am big fan of cricket but this performs of indian player kill cricket in india,

on August 19, 2014, 13:54 GMT

We have more problems in test cricket than in the shorter formats.

For the illnesses in Tests, administer medicines in ODI's! Great! "For the pain in the brain, what is the use of applying jelly on the belly", is one of my favorite comments to my students for decades.

Hope the "new" support staff can pull up the team's spirits, which looks at an all time low at the moment.

on August 19, 2014, 13:43 GMT

A good step and even Duncan Fletcher should be shown the door. He is the highest paid cricketing coach in the world but 6 series loses and such poor decisions during the current series.

Realistic_cri_fan
on August 19, 2014, 13:42 GMT

@landl47 The main problem with Fletcher is that he never really contribute to the team's success.He is a not an approachable man.His knowledge is never under the scanner but his communication with the players is worse.He was/is/will a spectator.To make improvement in communication among the players and the support staff, BCCI came with this plan.We can't expect a total turnaround but things may improve.

rmaganti
on August 19, 2014, 13:40 GMT

Best thing is to have IPL in England, Australia, South Africa and India by rotation. That way, Indian players get to hone their skills in conditions that are alien to them.

on August 19, 2014, 13:37 GMT

Welcome Ravi Shankar Shastri please infuse some dynamism for Indian batting, fielding and bowling at the same time if possible give some orientation classes on how face the pace attack specially in English conditions for openers and your experience and expertise is required to overhaul the Indian team . At the same time give stem warning to some passengers in Indian team either to perform or gates are wide open. At the same time Duncan Fletcher should be ready for pack .Enough is enough either perform or go for most of the Indian team members.

SLMaster
on August 19, 2014, 13:31 GMT

As an outsider I think the first step is BCCI to accept current DRS system. That could have stopped some damages.

Seamer_Singh
on August 19, 2014, 13:28 GMT

No matter what happens under Shastri, cricket will be the real winner!

on August 19, 2014, 13:27 GMT

It will not affect the performance by whom you bring in and whom you take out from the team or the management. Until and unless BCCI and the players themselves doesn't make commitment that they have to improve in test cricket,this misery will continue.

on August 19, 2014, 13:23 GMT

Best person for the job.. Come on ravi

landl47
on August 19, 2014, 13:20 GMT

From a management structure point of view, this seems a very strange move. What is Fletcher's role now? Does he have to get any ideas he has approved by Shastri? Who do the new support staff report to? Who makes the day-to-day decisions on things like the running of net practice? Who speaks to the media? Above all, who is now responsible for the selection and strategic approach of the side- if it's Shastri, what is Fletcher going to contribute?

This seems like a knee-jerk reaction in the middle of a tour so that the BCCI can say it has done something. It's clearly not sustainable over the long term and since the test part of the tour is over it's going to be impossible to assess whether the changes have made any difference- I would expect India to perform better in the shorter formats whoever is in charge.

The only thing that can be said is that if India loses the shorter games then the whole set-up is in complete disarray. Winning will prove nothing.

eddiehemmingswobble
on August 19, 2014, 13:16 GMT

Unless India change there current outlook on test cricket, things will take considerable time to improve. These young players need time to develop and be given every opportunity to make there mark. India need to commit to playing more test cricket away from the sub continent. 3 or 4 test series against New Zealand and West Indies will build confidence and make trips to Australia, England and South Africa seem less daunting. They also need to find a decent spinner. In all my time watching test cricket I have never seen India without a decent spinner until now. Wether India likes it or not test cricket is still the highest form of the game and will be for some time to come, regardless of crowds and revenue. If India is to win the respect of the whole cricketing world they must compete at test level or they will never be taken seriously by the non sub continent countries.

WishIndiaImprove
on August 19, 2014, 13:15 GMT

India's Test future is with BCCI. Select good players and ask them play more FC/County matches around the world. Make them to join eng/aus/SA long format club matches. What about IPL? Let it run like how it is now, but players selected (or marked) for Tests will not play IPL but give them big money during that time for focusing long format game. Otherwise no one will prefer Test because lot of money us in T20. Cricinfo, pls publish

glen1
on August 19, 2014, 13:13 GMT

Good move; hope Shastri has control over Dhoni's team selections. The team needs to man up and do well in the One-day series. Shastri should take over from Fletcher for Australia and World Cup, with an Indian support staff. Winning and Losing is not everything; it is the only thing.

on August 19, 2014, 13:12 GMT

bring in ganguly as head coach,and probably dravid as a bating coach . they need to bring back bhajji and yuvi in team , no matter how much dhoni hates them he has turn towards them for favour. if he cant do it, better leave the position and someone else do the job.

Charlie101
on August 19, 2014, 13:10 GMT

India's fielding was so poor I can understand the fielding coach "taking a break " but the bowling unit performed well in parts of the series and only played badly when they were exhausted after bowling too many overs because of dropped catches .

La_Bangla
on August 19, 2014, 13:05 GMT

Dhoni's position must be considered if India needs to change the things around. I have along with many other questioned his competence as Test captain back in 2011 and its for everyone to see now-numbers don't lie. Dhoni should only be captaining ODIs

on August 19, 2014, 13:04 GMT

A Quick Comment,

I understand the role of Coach and that of Players, everyone have there responsibilities and tasks they have to perform, but if the team is out of form, which can be due to various reasons, how come everyone start pressuring the Coach.

The Coach can only "Coach" you on how to do the things, he cant make you execute them.

If Indian batsmen are not performing well, what does that exactly mean ?

For what I have seen in the Series is that Indian Players were missing the mind set and the spark to win the Match, the body language was dull, the need to win no matter what, was definitely missing.

The Bowling Department is a mess, they need to find a good quality bowler, not just one.

I mean to be frank, they have bowlers, but they do not have "The Bowling Attack" to be honest.

Stop pointing at the Coach all the Time.

Regards
Umar

Rajeshj
on August 19, 2014, 13:04 GMT

I really doubt if Fletcher alone is the problem. We need to know who made the dubious decisions of playing Shami, Binny and Dhawan in 3 tests, Jadeja in 4 tests and Gambhir in 2 tests... Was it Fletcher's decision or was it Dhoni's.. The one who made the team selections for all these tests should necessarily go, because it shows lack of knowledge and skill.. More over, the hype created around some players like Dhawan, Pujara, Kohli, Rohit, Gambhir, Shami etc. should stop .. these guys were made to look like monsters so far, but they were found out so badly in technique and temperament, by a team which itself had its fair share of inexperienced blokes.. As a passionate supporter, we ourselves have to change and start looking at facts, analyse the skill and technique in a proper way and then rate/brand a player as a super hero.. the above-mentioned players were all termed as super heroes not long ago by us.. change is essential for us too..

on August 19, 2014, 13:04 GMT

With Ravi Shastri in charge every game will be going down to the wire!

FishTail
on August 19, 2014, 13:01 GMT

Not sure if this is the right move and timing is certainly not perfect. I agree with Bigmachine MSD is a bigger problem but only in Test. I think he is the best Captain India has and larger extent a street smart cricketer who is purely suited for shorter version of the game, period. Test is not MSD's cup of tea, time and time again it has been proven that he lacks vision to marshall men in test. I am perfectly fine with him in shorter version where his ineptness is easily camoflagued. Shastri is smart guy but I think we need people like him for few years to make a good system; mereley comingi for a series after a debacle will not help anybody. BCCI should be looking for prevention and not immediate cure.

Like I always have, I will raise my voice to appoint Ravi Ashwin as Test Captain.

on August 19, 2014, 12:59 GMT

Need to get rid of fletcher completely and remove dhoni from tests. Bring in more test level players, pay them more and ban them from playing IPL, T20 and ODI games. They can be allowed to play county tests wherever they need.

on August 19, 2014, 12:52 GMT

AWESOME NEWS GUYS! Dhoni and Fletcher stay! The arrogance of Dhoni despite the HUMILIATING defeat is quite clear indicator that the Top Management in BCCI is being decided basis everything but performance. Fletcher has been a PROVEN FAILURE with 5 straight overseas defeats; Dhoni is neither a Test Player nor a Test Captain, yet he continues to be at the helm of affairs. Dhoni may have been the leading run getter in this series, but that's just a paradox and an exception! R.I.P Indian Test Cricket! SPINELESS PERFORMANCE and LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY! SHAME on Indian Cricket Team!

tapi
on August 19, 2014, 12:50 GMT

First of all Indian Public would like to know whether BCCI has taken any step to find out the root cause of such a poor/below par performance in Tests. Are they asking for a report from Team Management? Are they taking into account the views of former Test Players? Without knowing the reason what is the use of taking ad hoc decisions? BCCI is trying to shield itself and trying to escape from its responsibility.

on August 19, 2014, 12:48 GMT

I don't want to blame IPL. I have seen many IPL games where the fast bowlers did well. Example: Dale Steyn was the pick of the bowlers in many IPL games. The players had the opportunity to face his pace.

Interesting to make the fielding and bowling coaches scapegoats. I don't remember either of them missing catches or failing to take wickets or not scoring any runs.

What about the players and captain - are they not responsible?

This is a band aid job. Indian cricket will never be a force in test cricket until they take the format more seriously than the money spinners T20 and ODIs.

Australia, England and SA are superior in test matches because they regard it as the pinnacle of the sport. Sacking coaches might appear like the BCCI is doing something but the real answer lies in their commercial interests and where they place emphasis.

on August 19, 2014, 12:33 GMT

I can't resist, noticing two commonalities between Ravi Shastri and the current India team touring England;

1. The common Glamorgan connection of Ravi Shastry, the county player; and Duncan Fletcher, the county coach, a couple of decades ago.

2. Commonality of Ravi Shastri's left arm bowling and Ravi Jadeja's. Both being the 'dart' specialists, without much variation, but useful to their respective teams to contain the opposition's runs.

I don't know whether Jadeja would be able to follow another facet of Shastri. Shastri started as a lower order dasher of a batsman, but gradually moved up to a 'Bocottian' type opener; a supreme stonewaller, frustrating the hell out of many a pair of opening bowlers around the world.

gimme-a-greentop
on August 19, 2014, 12:31 GMT

"glam boys.." ha. Kohli and co. need a straight-talker who will tell them to lose the ego and strive to be better. Dravid needs to mentor those young batting guns urgent like.

BigMachine
on August 19, 2014, 12:23 GMT

This is merely papering over the cracks. Bowling and Fielding coaches are just easy targets. If India are serious about changing things they should look at Dhoni.

This is akin to a multi-million dollar business losing money and sacking the guy who delivers the post.

on August 19, 2014, 12:14 GMT

The problem with Indian Cricket players is that they play more limited over Cricket than Test or First class cricket, so their technique will be better suited to limited over cricket than Tests or FC. And player selection is total disaster, if they see any player with good FC cricket they make him play ODIs and T20s then in adjusting their technique to utilize the chance they fail in both formats, examples Rohit Sharma mainly he is a good long format player and they introduced him in Limited over cricket and he is failing in both formats, and Virat sure he is a good player but in limited overs if you want to make him Test player, you should first make him play around 20-25 test in positions like 6 or 7(low pressure positions) then promote him up the order, whats the hurry? you guys are putting a lot burden on that young kid too early in his career. BCCI should make player play more FC in England and Australia and decrease the size of IPL.

wibblewibble
on August 19, 2014, 12:13 GMT

Wonder if we will see more edges - "If you're going to flash, flash hard"

AvidCricFan
on August 19, 2014, 12:05 GMT

How can BCCI be sacked? BCCI is directly responsible for the Indian team performance overseas. The players are not groomed to handle pace, bounce and movement. With IPL, they don't get much opportunities to hone their skills. They make them play on flat wickets all around the year on the T20 cricket shows. If anything, it is the BCCI who is primarily responsible for the failure of Indian team in overseas tests. Coaches don't have magic wand to impart skills in player overnight.

CricketMaan
on August 19, 2014, 11:41 GMT

Ravi at press conference 'Well the last thing India need here is....' and 'that decision to change penny and dawes came like a tracer bullet...'

on August 19, 2014, 11:40 GMT

good work bcci change same thing for betterment

on August 19, 2014, 11:34 GMT

Oh for the words "Step aside"...how brilliantly and sparingly they are used in Indian cricket!!! Sample this from the Secretary of the BCCI:
Patel also said it was incorrect to conclude Dawes and Penney had been sacked. "You cannot say that right now. We have not discussed anything about their contracts. We have just asked them to step aside. They can go on holiday, or go back home. They can even come to India if they want."

goldenpower
on August 19, 2014, 11:32 GMT

Now we decide to give a chance to karnataka team for overseas test matches with Dhoni Captaincy.

on August 19, 2014, 11:28 GMT

It is a good move and Shastri is very shrewd and team should utilize him to full potential. however T20 and IPL is not helping to improve players test match ability and the solution is their should be different pool of core players and what I mean is like Clarke his concentration is only test cricket and he is sucessful.everybody can see that and there are other players too and Australia
have many and one can see the result

on August 19, 2014, 11:15 GMT

Good job. Get rid of Fletcher and that will solve the problem

Herath-UK
on August 19, 2014, 11:12 GMT

A step in the right direction which Sri Lanka already adopted with important locals in key positions though Shastri will not remain long term surely.

Ramansilva
on August 19, 2014, 11:05 GMT

What a pleasure. The biggest of the so-called big three is in complete disarray. It will be a tough task to bring the house to order considering the next 2 opponents.

bdsing
on August 19, 2014, 11:05 GMT

WE HAVE HAD 250 PLAYERS REPRESSENT India SO FAR IN TEST CRICKET.
some of them excellent technicians, some of them ended up to be good coaches at domestic level. Some of them administrators, Few of them have stayed in the limelight by becoming commentators(few good, many bad)
But every time we have a crisis we move back and forth between Shastri and Gavaskar. For starters, we need to look beyond this.

electric_loco_WAP4
on August 19, 2014, 10:55 GMT

What about R Dravid?I mean,the greatest technician of Ind cricket was appointed batting consultant/coach for the Eng test prior to series.Of course,didnt make lot of diff. in the end guaging the results.Has he also been given a 'permanent' break?-:)

on August 19, 2014, 10:53 GMT

That's where India gonna win matches only and those are ODIs and that too in subcontinent.

on August 19, 2014, 10:41 GMT

this is good move but anil kumble should be in coaching staff permanently. that guy really know how to do this job .

on August 19, 2014, 10:34 GMT

Very sensible decision.But he should ultimately be made the head coach.A man with a very shrewd cricketing brain, I'm sure he will do a commendable job.Wake up India, u r not as bad as this series trouncing has made u out to be.Chakde India.

Lets-bash-others
on August 19, 2014, 10:21 GMT

@ David Gift Nelson -- Having international experience doesn't gurantee that the coach will be successful.. If you need an example then think of "Mr. G.Chappel"...

Also Sanjay Bangar was among those who didn't get much chances at the Int. level...

GURURAJKASHYAP
on August 19, 2014, 10:18 GMT

What good would the appointment of Ravi Shastri as Director of one day team make, if players do not have the basic instinct of playing with grit, determination and for the honour of playing for country? Rahul Dravid was appointed as mentor for the team, but he could achieve very little. The foremost thing which I think that BCCI should do is to STOP becoming a finance provider to cricket playing countries. Every cricketing nation knows that whether Indian cricketers perform well or not, we crazy fans throng the stadium or glued to the TV sets. Therefore, BCCI should forthwith reduce International fixtures restricting it to say three or four a year and advice all its international cricketers to take part in domestic cricket without fail. I do remember, in early eighties, players would not have been considered if they had not played in domestic cricket, atleast few matches.
Being a cricket statistician and analyst for the last four decades, I am deeply saddened by the performance.

Lets-bash-others
on August 19, 2014, 10:15 GMT

@ Calvin Palmer Warbah-- Mate BCCI wanted a "FRESH" head for that job.. And he is only a " support staff " and not a full time coach....

Every thing that happens in BCCI (specially selection) is not always becoz of the IPL...

Sanjay Bangar though quite NEW in coaching is highly respected among current/young players.. (specially from U-19, A teams and Railway's teams )...

V.S.Aiyer
on August 19, 2014, 10:00 GMT

I strongly believe the BCCI needs to get in some ex-cricketers who could help MS and the boys. It's easy to criticize but there should be people to give a helping hand. All International teams go through this face when top experienced cricketers retire. The top teams namely Australia, England, S.Africa have all had their dilemma when the older lot retire. India lost three stalwarts Dravid, Tendulkar and Laxman and the effects are seen now. Sincerely hope RS can help restore the confidence and work with the boys to bring the best out of them.

yogicoolboy
on August 19, 2014, 9:58 GMT

Really good to see bcci taking some bold moves. Hope this will help Team India. Shastri and Bangar are really good moves. Bangar has a great stint with domestic teams.

on August 19, 2014, 9:57 GMT

Shastry is very astute and has perhaps one of the most knowledgeable about the game. In fact he was the mosty worthy man never to captain India save one test match. He can deliver he goods if the players are receptive and responsive.

Marcus_A
on August 19, 2014, 9:53 GMT

Might have won the series with DRS.

1984Mann
on August 19, 2014, 9:52 GMT

Good Decision!! I think we should follow the Australians in this case in terms of what they did last year during the Ashes series in England. Sacked Arthur & brought Lehman. Look what wonders Lehman made to the team. We may not get immediate results. But for the sake of good future, we have to take some harsh decisions.Indian team desperately need below mentioned men's services to revive their style of play.

Very good move by getting ravi shastri. I feel fletcher must go. Good bangar has got a chance. Good luck

soorya.dhoni
on August 19, 2014, 9:41 GMT

Fantastic move by the BCCI. Although I would have preferred the sacking of Fletcher as well.
My suggestion to the BCCI:
Head coach-cum-batting coach: Sanjay Bangar/Sourav Ganguly.
Bowling coach: Wasim Akram/Zaheer Khan.
Fielding coach: Robin Singh.
Venky and Robin shouldnt have been sacked in the first place. They just proved that Indian coaches are equally good and better than some of the foreign ones(Exceptions: Gary "the gr8" Kirsten and John Wright).

on August 19, 2014, 9:37 GMT

I do not think Shastri could make any difference. It is the batsman and bowlers who wins matches not the coach and support staffs. We need to make significant changes in the team to get good results. India should not tour to England, Australia and South Africa for next 5 years and stop getting humiliated again and again

on August 19, 2014, 9:33 GMT

Good decision.. but I feel Fletcher also shud b given the boot. . He hasn't performed overseas and India also lost home test series agnst England under him

john_abey
on August 19, 2014, 9:32 GMT

Well we definitely require a better Head Coach and if possible coaches for seperate departments. Following are my suggestions

If we are looking for a foreign coach to be head coach then i would prefer Stephen Fleming, Steve Waugh , Mathew Hayden, Tom Moody, Chris Crains, but Gary Kirsten remains the focal point.

I would always prefer Dravid instead of Ganguly because mainly he has been one of the most successful batsman and a run machine in foreign pitches. Ganguly was a great leader but he was not a better player of shot bowls and also his patience level was not that much like Dravid and Tendulkar. Dravid can teach the guys the beauty of batting. Ganguly can be given any administrative role. He can turn it upside down.

on August 19, 2014, 9:29 GMT

How much cricket has Sanjay Bangar,Bharat Arun,R.Sridhar played in England to Coach or guide this team (i repeat IN ENGLAND CONDITIONS)?

on August 19, 2014, 9:14 GMT

really good to see sanjay bangar after kxips success in IPL

on August 19, 2014, 9:14 GMT

Remove Duncan Fletcher as coach and bring someone like a Shastri or Ganguly as the head coach. Everything will be okay.

on August 19, 2014, 9:12 GMT

I think the biggest problem in the test series was failure of opening batsmen. If your openers dnt dry out the New ball then u can't expect the rest of the batsman to save you everytime. The middle order saved us in the first 2 matches but it can't happen everytime. Next problem was Duncan Fletcher's coaching. If he can't inspire a team as a coach, I wonder what he can do. Next motto of India should be to remove Duncan.

Vishal63
on August 19, 2014, 9:08 GMT

India (BCCI) has the funds for the best coaches in the world.

Head Coach: Sourav Ganguly/Ravi Shashtri

Batting Coach: Ricky Ponting and Rahul Dravid

Bowling Coach: Wasim Akram and Anil Kumble

Fielding Coach: Robin Singh

himanshu.team
on August 19, 2014, 9:07 GMT

the first step should have been to sack Fletcher. India won the world T20, without a proper coach and the team was happy to get rid of Chappel. Just having Fletcher out might give some fresh air to the team.
I am not sure what would Shastri do, but we certainly will do much better without Fletcher.

on August 19, 2014, 9:06 GMT

actually the entire current squad of players should be given a rest too,and BCCI should buy all the star players from all the other countries and play them in the indian team,then only they can win,,,haha

Malik_Murad
on August 19, 2014, 8:58 GMT

Make Wasim Akram the bowling coach of Indian Team. This would make a huge different in the Team India.

binkuvarghese88
on August 19, 2014, 8:57 GMT

Really exciting news !! I believe Ravi Shastri can bring back the confidence which was lacking in the last test series. It just an matter of motivation, and i reckon Shastri is the best man in the circuit for this job.Lets wish him all the best and bring the maximum out of him.

ssundarraman
on August 19, 2014, 8:56 GMT

Welcome Move. Hope you can see the results of this soon. Do not drop this support team if they fail in England. They need some time. Robin Singh is also a good choice

naren1983
on August 19, 2014, 8:55 GMT

The appointment of Shastri is just to bring back the dressing room to positive. He will definetely help players to come out from wound. The basic reason is to bring Positive energy & confidence after terrible loss. BCCI don't want to see India losing ODI 4-1, because once Indians are down, it is very difficult to bring back them. So, its just a precautionary measure bringing Shastri to bring back confidence on our players. We again going to play with same players for ODI's who got troubled against English bowlers, its only confidence can bring them back. Hope Shastri will help for that. Resting Fielding & Bowling Coach is needed for just changing the new environment, so that the players can concentrate freshly. Bringing Bangar is good news, his knowledge will help team.

on August 19, 2014, 8:46 GMT

I am a great admirer of Ravi Shastri who epitomised what was good in Indian cricket. Sadly they through their cricket board have become dictators. No reviews, shortened tour to SA and disputing the decision not to suspend Anderson. A very poor test team outside of India, the IPL has destroyed test cricket for India.

on August 19, 2014, 8:41 GMT

Not sure how these changes will reenergise the confidence of the struggling test team.

Most important exclude Dhoni from Test Team. Dhoni the player does not make XI in Test Team.

I hope that someone from BCCI might ready my post.

leatherhunters
on August 19, 2014, 8:37 GMT

Would really be interested in knowing how much was the fielding coach was paid!. Should be deducted 1% for every drop catch!!.

on August 19, 2014, 8:36 GMT

Why BCCI didn't appoint Kapil Dave as a coach of Indian team. On post cricket shows I heard lots good topics and even on the commentary. And also dada has good experience about the game and the situation. About Dhoni what he can do if all the 10 players not performing well. One mistake he did is he didn't pick the right players according to pitch conditions. And didn't change the batting order as situation requaired.

on August 19, 2014, 8:35 GMT

Psychological boost for sure. Ravi was an aggressive cricketer always. However can he help their lack of skills against swing and improve slip fielding?? What the team needs is to get their hands dirty, get back to basics and train hard. Only preparation and hardwork can overcome this.

Keshavaram
on August 19, 2014, 8:32 GMT

It is time for Duccan Fletcher to retire as coach & bring Indian players like RSD,SCG, VVS Bowlers Kapil& ZAK. No doubt Bhui played well. what happened to Ishant. Binny was not given a fair chance in tests.In the total of 94 in the 2nd inns. he remaind 25* Not Out. Send him as no.3 or 4 & see what can happen. Probably he will play better than Pujara or Kohli. & even he can open the innings also.
Ind lost the series because they did not apply to the situation. No douby Jimmy & Broad bowled very well. Kudoos!!!!!
Best of luck tor both the teams in ODI & T20s

NANGAIRAJA
on August 19, 2014, 8:29 GMT

Congrats to Ravi Shastri !! Ravi should use the Perfect "Shastra" (Strategy)against the English Team . RaviJi, Requesting you to BOOST the confidence to "Dhoni & Boys" .

DADA & DRAVID also should get involved in the Teams confidence and team building Activity. Since, the Team is lacking and lapsed at times on the "Aggressiveness" against the Opponents mainly Outside the Sub-Continent. On the Lo(a)st 3 Tests,,India Played with less confi and suicided against the English Team. It was Like a Catching Practice given to the Eng..and Noticed that none of the IND players on the last 3 tests played their Natural Game.

Anyway,,Lets See How it goes on the One-Dayers and upcoming series. Best of Luck "Dhonis".

anoopgpl
on August 19, 2014, 8:27 GMT

Wow..! That's a good news to hear!

The main thing is that he will support the players who are performing, and value the players by the past performances, class and attacking attitude. So i guess, there is a definite chance for our beloved VEERU to be back on the side..

AT LEAST TO HAVE A WELL DESERVED FAREWELL..

on August 19, 2014, 8:23 GMT

Still don't understand why Duncan Fletcher is still there, Strange and idiot BCCI!! Rather then looking for coaches outside India there are plenty of them who can handle that job in their own country..

Hopefully Fletcher is sacked soon and an INDIAN coach is appointed.

fr600
on August 19, 2014, 8:23 GMT

I always liked Ravi Shastri, good choice.

on August 19, 2014, 8:22 GMT

former indian fast bowlers bharat arun and sanjay bangar?!?!?!??!

on August 19, 2014, 8:18 GMT

Head Coach only decides strategies and bowling coach decides how to bowl a particular length for a batsman. Replacing head coach might bring some fresh thoughts, also I believe BCCI must give MS the captain a break. Let him play under some body else that might give him time to relax and think as a third person.

Yes India need somebody aggressive from support staff not a humpty pie who sits and thinks a lot acts less. Make use of former Indian players, generate employment for them. If we have an Indian coach he will feel the defeat...

jagluth
on August 19, 2014, 8:16 GMT

i think so many here are mising the point.
being a great player in the past doesnt necessarily make you a good coach.
you need to be qualified for that with apropriate training like level3 -4 etc.

sameerkarkhanis7
on August 19, 2014, 8:14 GMT

Hey Gr8 thought Sachin...I hope BCCI is listening, even I agree....The Indian Board is so rich that they can afford to have a strong Management like Batting Coach, Bowling Coach, Fielding Coach and a Manager.....just to add to your wonderful thought, I would love to see Sourav, Sachin and Gavaskar playing some part in that management...or maybe selection of the team/players.

on August 19, 2014, 8:08 GMT

I think sanjay bangar appointment is a good move...may be he will replace fletcher...

on August 19, 2014, 8:07 GMT

Shastri should be given a free hand. What India team requires are not coaches but a person who could talk some sense into them and Shastri is the right man for the job. Effort is in the right direction.

on August 19, 2014, 8:06 GMT

I think So that removing Captian and Coaches from all formats is good idea for the Indian Team. Removing All Coaches From This Onwards Would Be A Better Idea. You Can Replace All Coaches With India's Best Cricketers.

samsin786
on August 19, 2014, 8:05 GMT

I don't know why people are so agitated by the outcome of the series.Series started with two average teams playing against each other and the first two test proved that.But later on England learned their mistakes and came out to be a better team,but mind you people who are thinking that this england team will win the ASHES,not this year.Right now Indian test team is filled with wannabes.Dhawan he's trying to be Sehwag,Pujara he's trying to be Dravid,Kohli he's trying to be Sachin and the list goes on.Instead of trying to be someone they should do what they are good at.Thank god India are not playing 5 Tests in Australia.

Chn2
on August 19, 2014, 8:05 GMT

Ravi Shastri, Sanjay Bangar are good selection. These are the guys who know how to best utilize your limited talent. Their experience will definitely help team India. Guys like Arun Kumar & Bangar are closely associated with our domestic format. So, they will definitely guide the young guys about the dos & don'ts between the domestic format & International standard. All the best team India.

Realistic_cri_fan
on August 19, 2014, 8:02 GMT

B Arun and Bangar are vital in developing young players like Samson,Vohra,Sandeep singh,Chand.Hope they motivate this senior team and bring back the dead team to live.Fletcher needs to go and it's time for DADA to take over.

here2rock
on August 19, 2014, 7:57 GMT

Who played test matches, support staff like Flecther or the players? Why punish them now? Craig McDermott is looking for a coaching role, why does not India get him as a coach? He turned Australian fortunes around very quickly. They fail time and time again picking wrong players and staff with all the money in the world.

on August 19, 2014, 7:56 GMT

I really wonder why the BCCI turns to foreign coaches when they have so many experts back home... besides guys like Dawes and Penney are not international cricketers which is itself a huge negative mark on their CV....duncan Fletcher clearly seems to lack the communication or whatever it is to inspire this team and its better he resigns gracefully.. my suggestions for the support staff ... Ravi - director of cricket ; ganguly - head coach ; dravid - batting consultant ; wasim akram/zaheer khan - fast bowling coach ; kumble/BS bedi - spin bowling coach ; dravid can as well double up as fielding coach ... get back paddy Upton if possible or get mike horn on board more often for mental conditioning.. what else does the team want? the BCCI will actually pay less for more returns

udaykiran.goru
on August 19, 2014, 7:55 GMT

Team India needs a good batting coach and no doubt there is no one better than Rahul Dravid. He is the most successful Indian Batsman on Foreign Soil and great Technique.

Rahul Dravid should be given a long term role with Team India.

I even back Ganguly to be mentor to the Team India.

Ganguly and Dravid should be given a long term role with Team India.

Forget Dhoni as Test Team Captain. Some says "He curbed his natural instincts and Battled hard at the Oval Test". After Playing Test Cricket for 8-9 Years if you are still Battling to score a 50+ then he is not a Test Player. Time to get a new Captain, new Ideas, new Energy

tonvarg
on August 19, 2014, 7:53 GMT

I think India are better of without DUNCAN FLETCHER seems like he is doing nothing for the team to improve.. absolutely disappointed to see he is still the coach of Indian cricket team.. What has he done since becoming the coach?

on August 19, 2014, 7:52 GMT

Wonder if Shastri's short term appointment just for a series can make any difference. They should have given him a long rope, till at least the end of the Australia tour, then perhaps he could have made a difference.

tonvarg
on August 19, 2014, 7:51 GMT

Also Make Kapil dev to train good fast bowlers and all rounders! If Kapil Dev was born in england or aus or nz or sa, he would have ended up with over 600 wickets! What a legendary fast bowler he was !

tonvarg
on August 19, 2014, 7:50 GMT

I hate how India appoint foreign batting coaches when we have legends like dravid and tendulkar with absolute perfect technique & experience to guide the youngsters!

on August 19, 2014, 7:44 GMT

good start..next kohli for Dhoni in tests

cheatsdontprosper
on August 19, 2014, 7:43 GMT

Interesting that Ravi Shastri has become the director of cricket but is this just a title or will he actually have any input into the teams direction and preparation ? I will wait to see. MS Dhoni's comment of Don't Be So Jealous of IPL after being asked if players would miss some IPL to prepare for the test season. Dear Dhoni people are not jealous of IPL they just want India to be a Serious Challenge when playing tests either at home or away !!! Stop being so Defensive about IPL and address the CLEAR Problem of India's TEST team.

on August 19, 2014, 7:42 GMT

Spot on, @AB_DeVilliers. Too many changes, but still no one to touch the immovable objects Dhoni and Fletcher. Wonder what more they need to do to get kicked out. I believe the Indian cricket team started to decline after Venkatesh Prasad and Robin Singh were unceremoniously sacked as the bowling coach and fielding coach respectively. Until then, ours was a decent bowling attack which took us to the top of the rankings, even if it was by playing only on the home soil.
The cricket team also will now be like some of our Olympic contingents - with more officials than actual players. Ridiculous that we had taken 18 players to England and they could not survive for 3 days of a Test.

on August 19, 2014, 7:42 GMT

It is high time we have Indian coaches.
Iy is better for the country in long term.

dee135
on August 19, 2014, 7:40 GMT

If this indian team really wants to improve their feilding and the catches at the slip cordon they should have either appointed mark waugh or jack kallis who just retired from all formats of the game....every1 knows how good slip feilders and players they were....appointing some1 just on the basis of domestic and ipl performance is so disgusting

arup_g
on August 19, 2014, 7:32 GMT

Shastri will hopefully bring in some home truths about the Indian team, and hit them hard. We need someone much stronger then Fletcher. While he may be good behind the scenes, we need someone a bit more outspoken and likely to tell the big headed Indian 'stars' where to go. Kirsten did this with Kohli and Rohit Sharma, and look at happened with the former - he became one of the best batsmen in the world.

Fletcher isn't the man to lead India forward, and neither is Dhoni. They should do wholesale changes right now. Give Kohli the captaincy and get a more outspoken, aggressive coach (a Mourinho of cricket like)...Is it potentially time for Ganguly? Maybe 2-3 years too early, but just like when he took the captaincy on (without much experience), I think he could do the job with the Indian cricket team too as their Coach.

on August 19, 2014, 7:31 GMT

ODI's... india is a different team ... wont be so easy dudes. ...

tushar7msdian
on August 19, 2014, 7:30 GMT

Please add wasim Akram as bowling coach....
and appoint dravid as batting and head coach..........

Fletcher appointment in the first place way back in 2011 was a questionable selection. What on earth can a man with just 6 ODI experience replace the great Kirsten?

Ishant Sharma was a thorn in the flesh for Aussie bats (esp. Ponting) in his debut series. Suddenly, after being thrashed at home in the ODIs. He is the punching bag for every Tom, Dick and Harry. Somehow this guy, peppers short stuff at Lords and BANG.. He once again becomes everyone's favorite.

Virat Kohli was the apple of the eye of every Indian fan, but failed to even surpass Bhuvaneshwar Kumar in the runs tally. Then suddenly, he'll help the team to chase 2 big ODI target and BANG.. his test 'under' achievements would be forgotten.

I don't think IPL contributes to this dismal performance. Even players from other teams play it. But they are not fatigued. Its the attitude. Everyone thought someone else will do the job. Vijay and Rahane did it to some extent. But not always.

YorkshirePudding
on August 19, 2014, 7:23 GMT

Looks like Penny and Dawes will be looking for new contracts elsewhere in the near future, which must also put a question mark over Fletcher's position, again this smacks of the BCCI wanting to appear to be proactive after the defeat but still not grasping the bull by the horns and instituting a full review of their own domestic systems and how they develop test cricketers.

HemnathT20
on August 19, 2014, 7:23 GMT

BCCI, Take a step to bring back Gary Kirsten to coach Indian Cricket Team pleaaaaaaaaaseeeeeeeee!

josejanet
on August 19, 2014, 7:22 GMT

Its good move. Bangar has a great stint with domestic teams.

on August 19, 2014, 7:22 GMT

Why is bangar appointed as bowling coach? ridiculous decision making by the BCCI. Again it sends a wrong signal to appoint someone just because of the IPL fruits. Indian cricket is doomed.

santhoshg016
on August 19, 2014, 7:22 GMT

finally some hard decisions taken by BCCI i hope its a good one.. first of all Ravi shastri is a good move he know the conditions well in England Australia south Africa. some one who is a commentator knows how the wickets and pitches behave in overseas.. If Ravi shastri takes a head coach i will welcome.. and including of sanjay bhangar and Mr Arun is going to guide the palyers i really welcome this.. If u have Indian coaches in the Team it will be very good for the team because the players if he has any problem they can guide them with our language.. if u have foreign coaches where it will be difficult for the players even to understand some of enlish words.. so i think its a good move..

jagluth
on August 19, 2014, 7:19 GMT

these changes will make a difference.
shastri is a strong personality and listening to him in the verdict we need somebody like him.
sanjay bangar is a well respected and successful coach.
yes jonty rhodes as fielding coach would have been good but at least bcci are being proactive and responding.
i saw 4 tests at the grounds and only one who fought was dhoni his head never came down,body language of some esp rahane was sorry.
good luck team india and msd our hero.

Nervewrecker
on August 19, 2014, 7:15 GMT

If they don't care about Tests, we don't care what they do in the ODIs.

AB_DeVilliers
on August 19, 2014, 7:15 GMT

Seems a bit knee-jerk to me. Changing the structure of the ODI team as a consequence of the failures in the test arena just doesn't seem very logical. Also, adding an additional layer to the coaching structure with Fletcher around makes no sense. Maybe he asked for it, or maybe they are looking at grooming Shastri, one can never know.

I think Indian cricket needs to re-align captaincy and coaches across all formats, and look to bring in old cricketers who have been successful abroad, like Dravid and Ganguly.

Ganguly for head-coach, Dravid for batting consultant - what say you Indian supporters yay or nay?

Interesting, i think there was never a position called as Director of cricket under bcci so this must be something new.

on August 19, 2014, 7:06 GMT

Finally We have some one like Ravi Shastri who knows and understand the ground realities and is a well respected cricketer himself looking into the affairs.
Also an extremely nice move to bring sanjay bangar. We all have seen what he can do with KKR. Hope all these people remain for more than this series.
I would like to see more great indian cricketers (Dada ) coming into the system to help Indian cricket (specially Test cricket) .

on August 19, 2014, 7:05 GMT

Sanjay Bangar was a hardworking cricketer who despite his limitations succeeded in conditions where our famed players failed, so if he can instill even 10% of his dedication in these spoilt cricketer then it would be great. Its a positive move but Fletcher too should have been sent on leave and then sacked.

SLSup
on August 19, 2014, 7:04 GMT

First it was Rahul Dravid and Anderson ALMOST said ENG bowlers actually feel RESTED after a 5 Test Series against the Indians. Now we have Ravi Shastri to direct ODIs. What is that?! What's that saying, "too many cooks spoil..." what?

Needless to say IND will do better in the ODIs. The question is can they do better than SL - even if with more friendly weather conditions (compared to when SL played in early summer) and a bowling attack that is better than that of a county team (which is what SL attack was called). IND doesn't need Ravi Shastri. Unless he is playing!

S.Seshachalam
on August 19, 2014, 7:03 GMT

Hope these appointments will help. However Fletcher has to be sacked. His contribution was already a big zero. Now what will be his value addition along with the new appointments?!!! Cannot understand BCCI's gimmicks!!

champ.india
on August 19, 2014, 7:03 GMT

It looks like a Japanes vs Indian corporate story... where India appointed many a number of observers, supervisors and manager to lead the team but there was only one worker who was supposed to do for India .... and finally India lost the game and they sacked the worker because of poor performance.... here the game is same we have Cricket Coach, Bowling coach, Batting Coach, Fielding coach, Asst Coaches for Batting, Bowling and fielding, and above all another supervisor appointed as Director and we have Captain too in the team.... 8 people to supervise and guide 11 people still they are not performing..... please do something to selection and have one coach only..... one command is better than multi directional small commands.

Robin292
on August 19, 2014, 6:59 GMT

Dear Ravi..if you read this:
1. I was the only one to post that there were badly organised net sessions before the Old Trafford Test
2. bowling coach just popped in to say hi and then vanished
3. to avoid the crowd, the Indian batsman did not go into the nets before going into bat..England did
4. No guidance for bolwers at net sessions
5. Kohli just practised 2 hours against spin bowling..watch his video when he comes into bat at Old Trafford
6. You know what to do and I know you'll do it. Good man.

rappedonthepads
on August 19, 2014, 6:58 GMT

well it had come to the point where one felt something's gonna give. BCCI have flashed.. and flashed hard at this. Jury was out and clearly Team India was found to have been rapped on the pads, so the finger had to go up.

Mindmaker
on August 19, 2014, 6:58 GMT

India needs to avoid any knee jerk reflexes and come up with real, well thought-out strategies devoid of emotion. Making such a decision so soon after the England debacle does not seem to support this much needed calm and focus.

on August 19, 2014, 6:57 GMT

Head Coach: Sandeep Patil, Batting Coach: Rahul Dravid, Fielding coach: Jonty Rhodes, Bowling Coach: Wasim Akram, Spin consultant (Indian home games): Shane Warne. Fast bowling consultant (Foreign tours): Curtly Ambrose. Wicket keeper consultant (Needed before start of series during training session): Mark Boucher.
Yes BCCI is rich Board and they should do this to built the sucessful team India.
Captain: Ajinkya Rahane (Tests)
Captain: Rohit Sharma (ODI and T-20).
Virat and Pujara are our main cogs of batting, they should not be overburden with captaincy. Play Umesh and Aaroon both in tests with Ishant in Australia. 4th bowler should be M.Shami (Who needs to regain his confidence. After every test one bowler should be rested, so he can be fresh throughout the series in Aus
So for I test: UY, VR, IS; II: UY, MS, IS; III: AR,MS, IS; IV: UY, AR, MS. So all the bowlers will be fresh and will give 100%.

on August 19, 2014, 6:56 GMT

good but shastri should have selected some one Like gavaskar, tendulkar or rahul dravid but nevertheless good move to sack under performing coaching staff of davies and Penny and now look for replacement of fletcher he is old and have not evolved indian cricket after 4 years with the team needs fresh prespective.

IPL_is_Thrash
on August 19, 2014, 6:55 GMT

Again changes for LOIs and no development measures for Test Cricket. This is pathetic. Whether Team IPL loses coming ODIs and T20s doesn't matter. What matters is Team IPL lost Test Series pathetically, shamefully,... And this Team IPL should be stopped from playing Test Cricket and a separate Team India should be evolved to play Test Cricket with dignity, vigor, dexterity, ....

on August 19, 2014, 6:55 GMT

Old wine in old bottle. What about key players?

on August 19, 2014, 6:54 GMT

plz fire the fletcher otherwise.. stronge team will never win any abroad matches

ABHIUPPU
on August 19, 2014, 6:49 GMT

Good. Now we have a few fresh minds to assist the team for the ODI's. But, we all know India and MSD enjoy ODI's and would need no additional assistance. Why were these appointments not thought of before the test series?

on August 19, 2014, 6:48 GMT

Does It Gonna Make Any Difference ? I hope if they could add the Yoga Master.

No featured comments at the moment.

on August 19, 2014, 6:48 GMT

Does It Gonna Make Any Difference ? I hope if they could add the Yoga Master.

ABHIUPPU
on August 19, 2014, 6:49 GMT

Good. Now we have a few fresh minds to assist the team for the ODI's. But, we all know India and MSD enjoy ODI's and would need no additional assistance. Why were these appointments not thought of before the test series?

on August 19, 2014, 6:54 GMT

plz fire the fletcher otherwise.. stronge team will never win any abroad matches

on August 19, 2014, 6:55 GMT

Old wine in old bottle. What about key players?

IPL_is_Thrash
on August 19, 2014, 6:55 GMT

Again changes for LOIs and no development measures for Test Cricket. This is pathetic. Whether Team IPL loses coming ODIs and T20s doesn't matter. What matters is Team IPL lost Test Series pathetically, shamefully,... And this Team IPL should be stopped from playing Test Cricket and a separate Team India should be evolved to play Test Cricket with dignity, vigor, dexterity, ....

on August 19, 2014, 6:56 GMT

good but shastri should have selected some one Like gavaskar, tendulkar or rahul dravid but nevertheless good move to sack under performing coaching staff of davies and Penny and now look for replacement of fletcher he is old and have not evolved indian cricket after 4 years with the team needs fresh prespective.

on August 19, 2014, 6:57 GMT

Head Coach: Sandeep Patil, Batting Coach: Rahul Dravid, Fielding coach: Jonty Rhodes, Bowling Coach: Wasim Akram, Spin consultant (Indian home games): Shane Warne. Fast bowling consultant (Foreign tours): Curtly Ambrose. Wicket keeper consultant (Needed before start of series during training session): Mark Boucher.
Yes BCCI is rich Board and they should do this to built the sucessful team India.
Captain: Ajinkya Rahane (Tests)
Captain: Rohit Sharma (ODI and T-20).
Virat and Pujara are our main cogs of batting, they should not be overburden with captaincy. Play Umesh and Aaroon both in tests with Ishant in Australia. 4th bowler should be M.Shami (Who needs to regain his confidence. After every test one bowler should be rested, so he can be fresh throughout the series in Aus
So for I test: UY, VR, IS; II: UY, MS, IS; III: AR,MS, IS; IV: UY, AR, MS. So all the bowlers will be fresh and will give 100%.

Mindmaker
on August 19, 2014, 6:58 GMT

India needs to avoid any knee jerk reflexes and come up with real, well thought-out strategies devoid of emotion. Making such a decision so soon after the England debacle does not seem to support this much needed calm and focus.

rappedonthepads
on August 19, 2014, 6:58 GMT

well it had come to the point where one felt something's gonna give. BCCI have flashed.. and flashed hard at this. Jury was out and clearly Team India was found to have been rapped on the pads, so the finger had to go up.

Robin292
on August 19, 2014, 6:59 GMT

Dear Ravi..if you read this:
1. I was the only one to post that there were badly organised net sessions before the Old Trafford Test
2. bowling coach just popped in to say hi and then vanished
3. to avoid the crowd, the Indian batsman did not go into the nets before going into bat..England did
4. No guidance for bolwers at net sessions
5. Kohli just practised 2 hours against spin bowling..watch his video when he comes into bat at Old Trafford
6. You know what to do and I know you'll do it. Good man.